Latest news with #AndreVillas-Boas
Hindustan Times
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Soccer-Porto transfer targets did not want to play in Club World Cup, says Villas-Boas
June 17 - Portuguese side Porto struggled to recruit players ahead of FIFA's expanded Club World Cup, with transfer targets turning down moves specifically to avoid the tournament's additional fixture burden, club president Andre Villas-Boas said. FIFA had given leagues the option to open the transfer window between June 1-10 so participating clubs could sign players before the month-long tournament in the United States. "We tested the market recently, so we had a special transfer window from June 1-10 where the Club World Cup clubs operated. It was incredible to see that a lot of football players didn't want to be in the competition," Villas-Boas told Men in Blazers. "They prefer to rest in order to start afresh in the new season. So this is actually outstanding as well because FIFPRO is demanding more rest for the players." A FIFPRO study concluded that a four-week off-season break should be mandatory for professional soccer players. "With the World Cup coming in America next season , it's an even bigger competition more teams, probably 1,200 athletes in one competition," he added. "So the calendar is becoming exhausting and we have more injuries... The players can't put on a good spectacle if they are not fresh." Villas-Boas, a former manager at clubs like Porto, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, also said that the expanded 32-team tournament comes at a "very bad time" for European clubs who wrapped up an exhausting season in May. Porto drew 0-0 with Palmeiras in their opening group game where the Brazilian side dominated the contest but were unable to find a breakthrough. "A few of us have had to give a vacation to the players, then we have to bring them back early without time enough for them to reset," Villas-Boas said. "So for us, we are like in a continuation of the last season. And whatever happens after this tournament, the new season is coming, so they never actually have the reset that they need into a new season." Porto will next play Lionel Messi's Inter Miami on Thursday.
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
PLAY TEAMSHEET: Can YOU name the Tottenham team that beat Man United in 2012? Or pick YOUR team and guess their starting XI
Welcome back to Teamsheet... Mail Sport's original football memory game with a twist that gives you the chance to test your football knowledge against your mates. Today we are preparing for the Europa League final with a Teamsheet from 2012, when Tottenham got the better of their final opponents. It finished 3-2, ending Spurs' 23-year wait for a win at Old Trafford. And what Spurs fans would do for the same result at the end of the season. We want to know if you can name the side that Andre Villas-Boas picked that night - including a certain forward who scored his first goal for the club. It's just for fun, so see how you fare and share your Teamsheet score... full instructions on how to play are at the bottom of the article and in the game itself. And you can also pick any team you like and guess their starting XI. Best of luck! HOW TO PLAY The aim of the game is to score as few points as possible! If you guess a player at the first attempt you score one point - so the lowest score for guessing every player at the first attempt is 11. Guess a correct letter in the right position, and it'll turn green. Guess a correct letter but in the wrong position, and it'll turn yellow. You have six guesses for each player - and if you fail, we'll reveal their identity for 11 points! You can also ask for a free letter, but it costs you a point.
